Learn from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Write Future Dreams on Hanji... 'Our Shared Archival Culture Program' Goes Online

An online experiential program will give Korean students living overseas the opportunity to learn about Korea's documentary heritage through the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and record their hopes for the future.

The National Archives of Korea, under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will run the Our Shared Archival Culture Program online from November 8 to 28 for 765 students at overseas Korean schools, Korean language schools, and King Sejong Institutes.

The program is a hands-on class in which students learn about the archival culture documented in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and write down their current thoughts and dreams on hanji paper to send to their future selves.

This year, 24 schools in 14 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, and China, will take part. The National Archives of Korea has also scheduled weekend classes, taking local time differences and each school's academic calendar into account to make the program more accessible.

The class begins with a video of author Ahn Miran reading aloud from her book, "Records Containing Everything About the Kings of Joseon: The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty." The video highlights the compilation process, preservation techniques, and historical value of the annals, and introduces related anecdotes to help students understand them.

Students will then write a "Letter to My Future Self" on hanji paper using brush pens and store it in a dedicated preservation box. The aim is to let them experience firsthand the process, from creating a record to preserving it permanently.

Launched in 2021, the program is now in its sixth year. Participation has grown 3.6-fold, from 215 students at 16 schools in its first year to 765 students at 24 schools this year. More than 2,600 students have taken part over the past six years.

"I hope this will be a meaningful opportunity for students overseas to learn history through the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and preserve their dreams in writing," said Lee Yongcheol, head of the National Archives of Korea. "We will continue to expand opportunities for people to experience the value of records and the importance of preserving them."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.